This invention relates generally to ultrasound systems and, more particularly, to methods and devices for controlling ultrasound systems.
In many typical ultrasound systems having, for example, an ultrasound machine or scanner, a large set of controls is provided for use by a user to control the ultrasound system. These controls may be used to drive the operation and/or behavior of the ultrasound machine. Because the physical space on the ultrasound machine is limited, it is often not possible to provide (e.g., expose) all controls at all times. Thus, a user is not able to access all controls at a single time.
A common way to handle the limited space for controls is to use an input device, such as a touch panel having on-screen controls, or other generic input device. The content of the generic input device, such as, for example, the specific control functions displayed, typically varies depending on the context of the ultrasound machine (e.g., based upon the particular operation to be performed). Therefore, only the necessary controls for the particular mode of operation are available for access by a user at any given time.
Additionally, voice commands may be used to operate an ultrasound system. However, again, because of the large set of controls, if each control is given a unique voice command, a very large command set can result. This large command set may reduce the accuracy of the voice recognition system, slow the speed of command recognition, cause misinterpreted commands due to the similarity of many of the commands and/or make it difficult for the user to learn the full list of commands. Further, if the user creates control functions once the ultrasound machine is installed, then it is difficult to provide a way to drive these control functions by voice commands.